A message of "Hope" seen on an ornament hangs on the Tree of Hope for Jayme Closs Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, outside of Riverview Middle School in Barron, Wisc. T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

BARRON - The choir softly sang its refrain, "I Believe," as a Christmas tree glowed in the darkness.

Such was the mood of a tree-lighting ceremony at Riverview Middle School in Barron Wednesday to honor 13-year-old Jayme Closs. The missing teen’s family and residents gathered together in the cold, bringing light to their community and showing hope is still alive.

Jayme disappeared on Oct. 15, the night her parents, James and Denise, were found shot to death in their home outside Barron. Authorities have ruled the deaths homicides, and Jayme is considered endangered.

Wednesday’s Tree of Hope ceremony was organized by the Barron School District and Jennie-O Turkey Store and Hormel Foods, where James, 56, and Denise, 46, worked for 27 years. Jayme is a student at the middle school.

Dedicated to Jayme and her parents, the tree stood outside the school adorned in blue, green and white lights. Students decorated it with handmade ornaments. One had the words “Come back soon” written on it with a heart.

Throughout the evening, community members sang and prayed together as they heard from Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, James and Denise’s employer, and the Closs family. Students and relatives released lanterns into the sky symbolizing James, Denise and Jayme.

“We just want Jayme home,” said an emotional Mike Closs, James’ brother, as he thanked everyone for their support. “We pray every day, and we just hope for a safe return.”

For organizers, the ceremony was a way to renew hope and show Jayme’s family that the community is behind them.

“Here is a community with an incredible heart, an incredible soul and an unbreakable spirit … Barron is full of hope and full of light,” said Hormel Foods CEO Jim Snee.

The Closs’ case continues to confound law enforcement. Fitzgerald called it a “roller-coaster ride,” and said authorities have yet to see any breaks. They’re widening the net of the investigation and going back 60 days or more to see who had contact with the family, he said.

“I don’t believe it was random, but we don’t know who the target was,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty, Wednesday’s ceremony brought a smile to Fitzgerald’s face. The case is heartbreaking, he said, but also heartwarming as people come together to support one another.

Fitzgerald wholeheartedly believes Jayme is still alive, he said.

“Nights like tonight and this community coming out…you can’t not believe because those kids depend on us,” he said.